


this was the very first page, not where the storyline ends

by humanluke



Series: 5sos prompts [5]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Drinking, Football | Soccer, Partying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:09:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27531286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humanluke/pseuds/humanluke
Summary: It wasn’t signed or anything, just the few words on the scrap of paper. He thinks maybe one of the workers overheard him talking to Luke about his homework, and smiles a little to himself before tucking it into the corner of his computer screen and starting on his first paper of the evening.--Or, the 5 times Luke wrote Calum a note. And the one time Calum wrote one back.
Relationships: Luke Hemmings/Calum Hood, Michael Clifford/Ashton Irwin
Series: 5sos prompts [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019475
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	this was the very first page, not where the storyline ends

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HeyHeyArnold](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeyHeyArnold/gifts).



> Hello lovelies! This is my first 5+1, can you believe!!!! Massive thanks to [sam](http://tirednotflirting.tumblr.com) for giving me all kinds of encouragement! This is based off of a prompt that [brooke](http://blackbutterfliescal.tumblr.com) sent to me, and it's her birthday today, so this is dedicated to her. I love you, thank you for encouraging me to write when I feel like no one else is! Also thank you to [bella](http://clumsyclifford.tumblr.com) for helping me pick a title! As always, I can be found on [tumblr](http://cakelftv.tumblr.com)! Enjoy!!

**1.**  
  
  
Calum sat down at his desk in his dorm after a long day of classes, sighing at the thought of the homework he was going to have to do. He thinks he’s probably going to have to skip football practice at this point, just to get enough of it done for tomorrow so that he can have a little time to himself on his Saturday. 

Normally Saturdays would mean sleeping in, getting late breakfast with his roommate, Michael, and then playing video games all day. But since it’s almost time for midterms, and his professors have loaded him with papers and tests to study for in all of his classes. It was his idea to get a major in linguistic anthropology, but at least he knew he was learning what he wanted to. 

Michael is currently still out of the dorm, but his things are strewn across his desk, which leads him to believe he left in the middle of working on one of his graphic design projects. He assumes he either went to go get dinner, or Ashton convinced him to ditch whatever project he was working on to go to one of his frat house’s parties. Either way, he knew it would be quiet here, at least for a little while if Michael was going to be gone. No blasting music from his headphones, and no whining from the other side about how busy Calum is. Not everyone can be gifted with graphic design prowess and can be finished with a final project in a number of hours. 

He sighs to himself, his stomach growling a little bit as he thinks maybe before he starts his homework he should at least go grab something to eat. It’s been a long day of back to back learning, so he thinks food is probably the best way to spend the next twenty minutes before he dives into the small pile of homework that he has to put a dent into. 

Instead of going to the dining hall, he figures getting grab and go food from the cafe is a better idea. They have more choices, better choices, and he can at least bring his food back to his dorm with him. He sees Ashton and Michael sitting and eating together in the student center by the cafe, and he hears most of the other students either talking about studying or going to the frat party being hosted by Ashton’s fraternity. Calum lets out a slight sigh of relief -- that does mean that he’ll be alone for the night. Peace and quiet for studying. 

“Hey, Calum…!” he hears a tentative voice call after him as he pays for his food. He turns, brow a little furrowed as he sees Luke. Luke is a nice kid -- he’s Ashton’s roommate, fraternity brother, and a political science major. They’ve become fast friends since Michael and Ashton have been glued at the hip since the start of the semester, finding common ground in talking about how annoying their PDA can be, and their shared interest in politics.

He’s also very good looking, but that is besides the point. 

“Hey, Luke,” he says with a smile as he takes his receipt with his order number on it. “What are you up to on this thrilling Friday evening?” Luke shrugs a little bit, adjusting his snapback on his head as he offers him an easy smile. 

“Just getting a bite to eat before going to spend my night locked in my room, trying to ignore the partying going on in the house,” he laughs a little. “Got a speech and some analysis to finish up before I’m allowed to partake in any partying. What about you, you coming to the party tonight?” 

“No, too much homework,” he shrugs a little bit. “So getting dinner, then locking myself in my dorm room until further notice. Or at least until I finish the psychology and english papers I have to have done for my midterm on Monday, at the very least.” Luke smiles softly at him, and they call both of their numbers for their food back to back. Luke grabs both of their containers, handing Calum’s to him and clapping him on the shoulder. 

“Well, when you’re all finished with midterms, you’ll have to finally come to one of the parties,” he says with a little bit of a grin. “At least to keep me company from all the Michael and Ashton PDA.” Calum returns the smile, nodding in agreement. 

“That sounds like a great idea,” he says with a smile. “I’ll definitely take you up on that.” He holds his container with his chicken nuggets and fries in it close to him with a soft smile. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Luke laughs. “Good luck with your homework!” He waves to him as he heads out of the cafe, and Calum waves back with a little bit of a grin. 

When he gets back to his dorm room, he opens up his container to find a folded note inside of it. He furrows his brow a little bit, confused as to why there would be a note in his food. He opens it up, looking over the unfamiliar handwriting with intrigue. 

_‘Good luck on all your homework! I’m rooting for you! :)’_

It wasn’t signed or anything, just the few words on the scrap of paper. He thinks maybe one of the workers overheard him talking to Luke about his homework, and smiles a little to himself before tucking it into the corner of his computer screen and starting on his first paper of the evening.  
  
  
**2.**  
  
  
Calum is pleased he’s finally caught up on all of his homework and has finished with his midterms. He feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders, all thanks to that stranger’s note that he’d found mixed in with his food. He doesn’t know who gave it to him, but he passed through everything with flying colors. 

Which is why he’s now sitting on a couch with Michael at a party, sipping on something out of a plastic cup that someone handed to him. He just knows he’s here to have a good time. Michael was currently complaining about how Ashton wasn’t there yet, and Calum was just nodding in agreement, wishing he was more drunk than he was so he wouldn’t have to deal with the constant berating in his ear. 

That changed when the door flew open with Ashton and a few of his fraternity brothers stepping in, Luke being one of them. At least he had someone to talk about how disgusting Michael and Ashton were about to be. Michael is off the couch in a beat, wrapping his arms around Ashton’s neck and kissing him while continuing to grouse about how lonely he’d been without him. As if Calum hadn’t been right there the whole fucking time, keeping him company. He lets out a sigh, taking another sip as Luke slides into the seat next to him. 

“Welcome to Hell,” Calum jokes, lifting his drink to him as he laughs a little bit. Luke laughs in return, looking over his shoulder at the display of affection that was happening between Michael and Ashton before Michael pulled him into the kitchen to find them both drinks. “If I had to listen to Mike complain about missing Ashton for one more moment I was going to drown myself in the punch bowl.” 

“I do not blame you,” Luke says with a laugh. “Let me go grab a drink, I’ll be right back, yeah?” Calum nods in agreement, taking another sip as he watches Luke peel himself off the couch, heading into the kitchen himself. Just as fast as he left he returns, beer bottle in hand as he settles onto the couch easily. Luke still looked too big and awkward for everything, but Calum had watched him grow into himself over the last couple of years. Sure, he was still the same nerdy kid he’d met at orientation, but he’d definitely grown into himself in the time they’d known each other. “My attention is totally yours now, bro.” 

“Thank god,” he laughs a little bit, sipping his drink again. “Listening to Michael has turned my brain into jello. Tell me something exciting you did this week.” Calum looks to him expectantly, resting his chin into his hand. Luke lets out a laugh, shaking his head a little bit as he thinks for a moment, biting his bottom lip into his mouth as he plays with his snapback on his head. Calum pushes the comment that comes up into his throat back down, knowing it’s just the alcohol making him think that. (It wasn’t, really, but he was going to keep telling himself that.)

“Well, I got an A on my research paper for my Research Methods class, so I call that something exciting I did in the last week,” he grins. “But I also spent the better part of my week reorganizing the kitchen at the house, so that’s something else that was pretty exciting to me.” Calum chuckles a little bit -- only someone like Luke would find joy in reorganizing a kitchen. It was adorable, really. “What about you, what’s something exciting you did?”

“Well, those are both pretty exciting,” he laughs. “I don’t know if I can top those, but I got an A on my English essay and then I scored three goals at our last scrimmage, so that was pretty impressive. We’re in good shape for our next game, I think.” Luke smiles a little at him, leaning back into the couch as he sips his beer slowly. 

“I’ll have to come to one of your games sometime,” he says with a nod. “Sports have never really been my thing, but I bet you could find a way to make them interesting for me.” He laughs a little bit, as if he was joking about it. (But he wasn’t.) 

“Michael only comes if Ashton is free to come too nowadays,” Calum sulks a little bit. “A friendly face in the stands might help me play a little bit better.” He nudges him playfully with a laugh as he finishes off his beverage. He’s finally feeling a pleasant buzz running through his veins, and that makes him feel better about being here. He’s not huge on parties, and he’d mostly come to keep Michael company while he waited for Ashton, but he also liked a good excuse to get hammered after the hellish week that was midterms. 

“Well, I’ll make it a point to come to the next one,” he hums as he takes another sip of his beer. “You gonna stay late or do you have more homework to do? Just wondering if I’ll have to find someone else to keep me company until I’m dragging Michael and Ashton out of here.” 

“I am planning on getting drunk, so I’m not heading anywhere,” he grins. “You wanna go play beer pong out back?” Luke parrots his grin, standing up and finishing off his beer easily, and Calum follows the track, swallowing himself and cursing himself for looking too closely. 

“Well, what are you waiting for?” he laughs, offering his hand. Calum takes it with a smile, letting Luke tug him into the backyard easily. 

The rest of the night is full of laughter, good times, and too many drinks. Calum only knows this because he wakes up in his dorm room the next morning, his head pounding as he grimaces at the sight of the sun pouring through the windows. Michael is humming to himself cheerily as he opens up the curtains, and Calum rolls over and presses his face into his pillow. 

“Come on, cranky pants, you’re gonna miss brunch,” Michael laughs a little bit. The very thought of food makes Calum’s stomach churn, and he shakes his head adamantly. 

“God, no, please, I want to sleep for the next ten years,” he complains, pulling his covers over his head. “I would rather die than go to brunch, please.” Michael shakes his head a little bit, tsking as he pulls his hoodie over his head. 

“Well, there’s water and aspirin next to your bed,” he says. “And a note, I think? From whoever took you home last night, I’m guessing.” Calum’s memory of the last night was fuzzy, and the last thing he remembers clearly is when he went to play beer pong with Luke. He has no idea what happened after that. 

He lets Michael leave the dorm room, wincng at the sound of the door slamming as he rolls back over. He slides out of bed just to close the curtains again, sighing in relief at the lack of sunlight once he does so. He takes the advil with the water, grabbing the note sitting next to it and looking it over with squinted eyes. 

_‘Hope this makes you feel better, party king. ;)’_

Calum sighs a little at the note -- he thinks it's the same as the other one, the same handwriting as before. But he’s too hungover and tired to really check, so he just sets it on his desk by the other and climbs back into bed as he attempts to sleep off this terrible hangover.  
  
  
**3.**  
  
  
The biggest soccer game of the season is this afternoon, and Calum is one hundred percent full of nerves. He’s hardly eaten all day from them, really, but that doesn’t really matter. It’s their last game before winter break, and even though it means the season will be over after this game, there’s still plenty riding on it. 

Michael had promised him he was going to be there this afternoon, be there to cheer him on and make him feel better about the whole thing, but it’s five minutes before the game starts and there’s no sign of him as he scans the stands. Typical of Michael to blow him off -- he’s either with Ashton, then, or he’s working on a project and lost track of time. He knows better than to put too much stock in Michael coming to anything sports related, but he’d always come to his game in high school, so him not being here bummed him out a little bit. 

He pushes the thoughts to the back of his head, and his eyes settle on a blond haired boy hiding beneath a snapback in the stands. At least Luke had followed through on his promise from the party -- that he would at least come to one of his games and cheer him on. To be fair, Luke had come to every single one of his games since that party. Calum didn’t hold too much stock in it though -- maybe he was just a better friend than Michael was, that piece of shit. 

“Hey, you okay?” One of his teammates, Louis, was looking at him with a furrowed brow. His concern must be showing on his face, and Calum softens his expression a little bit and laughing it off a little bit. “You just nervous, I’m guessin’? You don’t normally get all that anxious before games, though.” 

“Yeah, no, I’m good!” he swears, laughing a little bit more. “Sorry, just got a lot on my mind right now. I’m good. Just a big game and all, you know?” His teammate nods in agreement, running a hand through his dark locks as he takes a swig of water from his bottle. 

“Yeah, but it’s nothing to get too nervous about, mate,” he says with a clap on his back. “Don’t worry about it, you always do great!” Calum gives him a smile in return, a little forced almost. He knows he’ll be fine, but he can’t help but feel the nerves. Maybe it’s the thought that he knew Luke was there watching his last game. Either way, he presses the thoughts to the very back of his head, focusing on the task at hand -- winning this fucking game. 

Which must work, he thinks, because they just barely squeeze past defeating the other team, but they still win. Calum even shoots the final, game winning goal, causing praise from his entire team. He feels like he’s on top of the world as they go out to eat afterwards at the only diner in town big enough to handle a team full of grass stained, smelly, rowdy boys who just won the last game of the season. 

Calum returns back to his dorm around midnight, having spent the better part of the night eating too much ice cream and drinking a few beers with the team. He knows not to have too much like last time, not wanting to wake up and have barely any recollection of the previous night. 

He lets himself into his dorm, his leftovers from the diner in a small container, and Michael is asleep on his desk. Calum just shakes his head a little bit, almost laughing at the sight as he puts his leftovers into their mini fridge before walking over to his side of the room, shaking him gently. 

“Michael,” he says firmly. Michael wakes with a start, sitting up straight as he nearly jumps out of his seat. He looks at Calum, still in his dirty uniform, hands on his hips as he shakes his head at him. “Jesus, Michael, falling asleep at your computer is a new one, even for you.” 

“Did I miss your game?” he says tiredly, rubbing his eyes as he looks at the clock. “Fuck, bro, I’m so fucking sorry, you must think I’m a total fucking asshole.” 

“You’re fine, I know you’ve had a lot of final projects that you’ve been working on. I’ll forgive you this time,” he laughs. “Just mean you’re obliged to come with me to any movie of my choosing when we get back from break.” Michael lets out a dejected sigh, rubbing his eyes again. 

“Fuck, man, fine,” he sighs. “But please, do me a favor and go fucking shower? You smell like a fucking cow pasture.” Calum playfully smacks him on the back of his head, shaking his head. “It’s the truth! We’re gonna get a smelly man complaint!” 

“I’m going, I’m going,” he says with a shake of his head. “Some people are so fucking critical.” Michael throws a pen at him as Calum flips him off, grabbing his shower caddy with a change of clothes and heading to the showers. 

He spends a good twenty minutes in there, washing the turf and body odor off of himself as he lets himself ruminate under the hot water. 

When he comes back to the dorm, Michael is now asleep in his bed, and Calum laughs softly, closing the door quietly behind him as he tosses his dirty uniform into his hamper. He nearly slips on something on the floor, and looks down, seeing another neatly folded note sitting on his floor. Whoever it was who left this one must have slid it under the door, he thinks, and he sits at his desk as he unfolds it, about to finish up a final project while he still has the energy. 

_‘Congrats on the big win, future soccer star. That final goal was worth the watch ;) ’_

So whoever had left these notes had been at the game tonight. He hums to himself, wondering who this secret admirer could possibly be. He saves the thought for later -- he has a paper to finish, after all. So he tacks it up with the other notes before starting up his computer, preparing himself for a late night.  
  
  
**4.**  
  
  
The end of the semester comes and goes, with finals mixed in with too much coffee and late nights of studying. Michael spends more time in their dorm the last two weeks of the semester than he has the whole thing, and Calum realizes how much he’s missed his company when he’s been off spending all of his time with Ashton. He hasn’t thought about how lonely he’d been when he wasn’t in class or at practice, spending most of his time doing research or watching useless youtube videos on things to distract himself.

Maybe Calum just needs to start dating someone, he thinks to himself. But he pushes the thoughts out of his head -- he’s too busy, he convinces himself, and it’s the last he thinks of it. 

But they go back home and celebrate the holidays with their families, and the whole month they’re at home flies by like it’s nothing at all. Calum is almost reluctant to go back to school, but he’s also excited, because the start of the semester always means something else for him too. 

His birthday. 

Classes reconvene the week of his birthday, which just so happens to fall on a Saturday, which he calls a blessing in disguise. (Or rather it’s an excuse to party, he adds on to the end of his thought, but he ignores it mostly throughout the week.)

Friday comes around, and Ashton’s fraternity is having a party and Ashton invites him personally to be the guest of honor for the night. 

“I know your actual birthday is tomorrow, but we both know the party will go into the morning, and you deserve to be celebrated, dude,” he says to him on Friday afternoon at lunch. “Tonight should be about you! It’s worth being able to have a good time. Maybe I can set you up with someone.” He nudges him playfully, and Calum just laughs awkwardly and blushes a little bit. 

“That’s not necessary, I’m not looking for anything right now,” he says softly, taking a bite of his pasta as he sits back in his seat. “Honestly I’m just trying to get through school without losing my mind. I don’t have time for… all that too.” He gestures between Michael and Ashton before taking another bite of his lunch. “But the sentiment is appreciated.”

“Either way, we’ll make tonight worthwhile for you,” Ashton grins as he claps him on the back. “Whatever you want, we’ll make it happen. Just say the word.” 

“You know, just having a good time is all that matters to me,” he shrugs. “That’s all I can really ask for.” Ashton just smiles at him, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he sips at his water. 

“Don’t worry, dude. I’ll make it happen,” he muses, and Calum laughs a little bit, unsure of what to expect, but excited nonetheless.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Ashton Irwin promises you that you’re going to have a good time at one of his parties, he really does not disappoint, Calum learns very quickly. 

He wasn’t ever that big on parties, but it’s his birthday, so he’s not going to complain about being thrown a rager for that. Ashton makes sure that there’s always a drink in his hand if he wants one, and he gets more attention while he’s here at the party than he has all year, he thinks. He’s been to plenty of these parties, and he knows the members well enough, he thinks, because of Michael, Ashton, and Luke. But he’s never been the center of attention like this before. He’s not complaining about it, not at all, but it’s a jarring difference. 

Eventually he finds himself sitting on someone’s bed -- he’s not sure who’s, really. He thinks he’s in Ashton’s room, but he’s buzzed enough that he’s really not sure about it. It’s almost midnight, but he needed a moment away from the rush of the party to just breathe. As much as he appreciates all the attention he’s getting, he really doesn’t _like_ all the attention. So a break it is. 

“What’re you doing away from the party there, birthday boy?” He looks up and Luke is lingering in the doorway, beer in hand as he grins at him. He’s missing his hat today, and Calum thinks he looks nice without it too. 

“Not my birthday yet,” he says pointedly, taking a sip of his own drink. “But close enough.” He laughs a little bit. “Just needed a little space. It was getting a little suffocating down there.”

“Yeah, they can be a little much sometimes,” he says with a laugh, sitting down next to him and stretching his legs out. “You got anything planned for tomorrow? Expecting any exciting presents or anything like that?” 

“Nah, probably will just be nursing a hangover and then I’m sure Michael will drag me out to dinner somewhere. Age old tradition,” he laughs a little bit. “But I didn’t really ask for anything important this year. Just wanted to have a good time, you know? Memories are more important than anything else.” Luke nods a little bit in agreement, raising his bottle a little to him.

“Well, to your next year being full of memories that you’ll never forget,” he smiles, and Calum meets his bottle with his own cup before finishing off his own drink, smiling at Luke like he’d made the world with his own two hands. 

“I’ll drink to that.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, of course, Calum does not remember anything that happened after midnight. As should be typical of your birthday, he thinks as he rolls over in his bed, groaning softly. He rubs his hands over his eyes, sighing a little bit as he looks over at the clock and sees it’s after noon, and that Michael is nowhere to be seen. There’s water and aspirin on his bedside table again, along with a note from Michael to meet him at the diner at 5pm. He chuckles a little bit, wincing as he takes the aspirin and water, thinking he has to thank Michael for being such a good friend. 

He cocks his head a little bit when he sees an envelope with his name on it, in the same handwriting as all of his anonymous notes he’d gotten. He hums to himself as he turns it over, prying open the back of the envelope and pulling out the card. 

It’s simple, just with well wishes on the front, and he opens it up to read the note written inside. 

_‘Happy birthday, Calum! I hope this day is the best of all that you’ve had yet. Make lots of good memories. xo’_

Calum stares at the card for a moment, wondering briefly who could have left it for him. They would have had to know today was his birthday, for one, so they had to be someone he _knew_. The signing of the card threw him for a loop as well, his heart fluttering in his chest at the sight of it. He sighs as he shakes his head, leaving it on his desk as he goes to take a shower and think more on it.  
  
  
**5.**  
  
  
Calum has been thinking about the notes that he’d been left nonstop for the last week or so. It didn’t help that he’d had another one this morning tucked into one of his textbooks. He’d left them sitting on a table when he’d gone to grab his coffee order, and the note just magically appeared while he was gone. 

This one was different, though. This one had more than just a few words on it. This one had actual substance on it. And it made him more nervous than any of the previous ones he’d received. 

_‘I would love to take you out sometime. Meet me at the cafe tomorrow at noon if you want to? xo’_

Ever since his birthday, when he got that card, the thought has been consuming his brain. He hasn’t said anything to Michael about it yet, but he’s starting to think that maybe he should. Maybe that’ll help clear things up a little bit, he hopes. Especially with this added information that he has. He has no fucking clue who this guy could be, and it was starting to drive him crazy. He needed answers, and maybe Michael could provide him with a little guidance, being the one in a long term relationship.

“Hey Mike?” 

They’re both sitting at their desks, working on homework for once in their lives. But it’s early in the semester, and Ashton is busy with pledging, so Michael has no better place to be than in his dorm room working on homework. Or at least pretending to work on homework and really just watching cringe tiktok compilations on youtube. He takes out an earbud, looking over to him with a cocked eyebrow. 

“What’s up, buddy?” he asks, swiveling his chair to face him. Calum tries to find a good way to broach the topic, thinking about it for a moment as he looks over at Michael. 

“Have you ever had a secret admirer?” he asks, figuring that’s the best way to put it. “I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten myself one, but I obviously have no idea who it is, and I would really like to find out, but… you know.” Michael laughs a little bit as he gestures to the notes that he has pinned up on his bulletin board, along with the birthday card. 

“You mean the notes from Luke?” he says with a shrug. Calum pales a little bit, furrowing his brow a little bit. “Dude, I spent 60% of my time in his room with Ashton. I know what his handwriting is. I thought you knew and you guys had like… a thing. That’s why I thought you turned down Ashton’s offer for hooking you up with someone at your birthday.” Calum runs his hands through his hair, a little stressed by the prospect that Luke -- Luke Hemmings, beer drinking, snapback wearing, cute, funny, smart, _amazing_ political science major Luke Hemmings would ever be interested in him. 

“No, I didn’t know, and I didn’t have a thing,” he says, and he’s sure his cheeks are pink as he plays with his hands. “I mean. We didn’t have a thing.” 

“You two are always flirting with each other, it’s kind of pathetic, really,” he shrugs a little bit. “I just thought it was a mutual thing. Sorry if I ruined the whole thing for you.” Calum groans a little bit, leaning back in his chair. 

“What am I supposed to do now!!!” he groans a little bit. “How am I supposed to move forward with this information!” Michael laughs a little bit, shrugging his shoulders a little bit. “He left me one today with my textbooks, asking if I wanted to go on a date with him!”

“Well, do you want to go on a date with him?” Michael asks with a shrug. “I mean, I’m pretty sure I know the answer to the question, but I’ll let you answer that one.” He grins a little to himself, and Calum rolls his eyes in response before he thinks about it for a beat.

He’d always liked Luke, if he was being honest with himself. He knew that he tried to play it off as friendship, that was what he did. But he did really like him. He’d always thought about the idea of it, but Luke didn’t seem the type. Then again, neither did he, so who was he to judge him?

“I mean, yeah,” he says softly, running his hand through his hair again. “Of course I do.”

“Then fucking go for it, dude. Nothing stopping you.” He puts his earbud back in and unpauses his video, and Calum thinks to himself for a moment before turning back to his homework, trying to concentrate on it long enough to get something done with all the thoughts rattling around in his brain before finally quitting, pulling his own notebook out to start writing a note of his own. 

**+1.**  
  
  
Luke is sitting in the cafe at school, nursing his latte as he checks his watch. He knows it's not even noontime yet, but he’s still nervous. He wonders if Calum’s even going to show up, if he’s going to give him the time of day. Not that he knows that he was the one writing all the notes, but still. At least, he doesn’t think that he knows. He shakes the doubts out of his mind, taking another sip of his coffee. At least the warmth of it is helping him feel something other than his frayed nerves. 

It’s 11:59 according to his watch when Calum strolls into the cafe, going up to the counter to order his own coffee. Luke swallows, looking down at his lap nervously. Calum hasn’t looked at him yet, hasn’t given him the time of day yet, and it’s starting to make him more nervous than he already is. He drums his fingers against the outside of his cup, taking deep breaths. Maybe this was a terrible idea. 

Calum thanks the barista for his coffee before heading over and sitting across from Luke, taking a sip of his own coffee as he rests his elbow against the table, his chin propped up in it as he looks at Luke with a little bit of admiration in his eyes. Luke can feel his cheeks burn pink as he bite his bottom lip into his mouth, adjusting his snapback on his head a little bit as he sits back in his seat. 

“So,” Calum says with a soft smile. “You were the one that left me all those notes?” Luke nods a little bit, rubbing one of his sweaty palms against his jeans. “You really had me for a loop, you know, Luke. I had no idea that you even remotely liked me.” He laughs a little bit, and Luke laughs in reply. 

“God, I thought you didn’t like me,” he laughs. “I mean, not that you knew it was me, or anything. I mean. You didn’t. Did you?” He’s suddenly second guessing himself and tripping over his words, something he never does. He’s usually very collected. But this… Calum being here makes him feel a whole different level of weird. But in a good way, he thinks. 

“If I’m being honest, Michael told me yesterday,” he confesses, taking another sip of his coffee with an apologetic look. Luke sighs almost dejectedly, and Calum laughs softly as he admires him from across the table. “Hey, it’s okay. I mean, I would have found out it was you either way, you know? And I’m glad that it’s you. I always wanted it to be you, you know?” Calum’s own cheeks are pink. “Oh! I have something for you.” He reaches into his pocket and fishes out a folded square of paper, sliding it across the table as he takes another drink of his coffee. Luke takes it into his hands gingerly, unfolding it slowly, looking between the paper in his hands and Calum as he does so. 

When Luke gets it all unfolded, he looks over the paper, his cheeks pinkening again as he reads the words, biting his lip. It’s just a few words, so it shouldn’t have that much of an effect on him, but they send a good shiver down his spine as he reads them a couple of times, committing them to memory. 

_‘Does this mean I can finally kiss you? :)’_

“God, yes,” Luke laughs, and Calum laughs too, sliding his hand over Luke’s jaw across the table, pulling him in to kiss him softly on the mouth. Luke thinks he might melt into a puddle in the cafe right there, kissing Calum like this, and also never wants the moment to end, the electricity of their mouths meeting sending chills up his spine in a new kind of way. 

“I’ve wanted to do that since orientation,” Calum breathes as he pulls back a little bit, smiling softly over at Luke. Luke smiles softly, laughing a little bit as he slides his hand over Calum’s, lacing their fingers together easily as he sighs in content. 

“Me too,” he replies. “You wanna go do something else?” Calum grins as he grabs his coffee off of the table, squeezing Luke’s hand in reply as he slides out of his chair. 

“Yeah,” he smiles. “Let’s go make some memories.”


End file.
